Details

• Date: 2018/04/29

• Observer: Matt Lanning
• Organization: Public

Location

• BC Zone: Aspen
• Area Description: Castle Creek, Greg Mace Peak, Kellogg
• Route Description: Castle Creek Road

Weather

• Weather Description: Warm, windy, no freeze at elevation for at least 3 days, rain overnight, rain crust up to 11,500'

Snowpack

• Snowpack Description: Brutal rain crust on westerly aspect up to 11,500. Ski crampons sliced through it like butter, but took effort to get ski into it for skin traction.

Avalanches

• Avalanche Description: Northeast facing bowl of Greg Mace (Eer Bowl) ran wet naturally around 11:30am from 12,200'. Could have gone bigger but track was short. East-facing Kellogg ran naturally from around 12,000' to near the foot bridge around 11:30am as well. Ran in the same track that has run a couple of times in April, but this was the longest run so far. Lots of rollers collecting snow and turning into small slides, starting as early as 9am. On our exit (~11:30am) we moved some snow on an eastern aspect around 10,500 that grew quite large as it moved downhill towards Cooper Creek.

Media

Images

Figure 1: East face of Kellogg, crown around 12,000', ran at approx 11:30am on 4/29/18. Debris near the foot bridge in Castle Creek.

Figure 2: Northeast start zone on Greg Mace (Eer Bowl), ran from 12,200' at around 11:30am. Would have run longer if the track didn't end in the basin. Multiple wet slides around 10,500 in the lower left of this photo that ran around 11:30am as well.